Device and method for charging electric vehicle

ABSTRACT

A device for charging an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a charging inlet for receiving charging information and power from electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE); a control module for determining a charging mode on the basis of the charging information, and outputting a control signal according to the determined charging mode; and a charging unit for charging a battery of the electric vehicle according to the control signal from the control module.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 15/743,152,filed on Jan. 9, 2018, which is a National Phase of PCT InternationalApplication No. PCT/KR2016/007431, filed on Jul. 8, 2016, which claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to Patent Application No.10-2015-0098268, filed in the Republic of Korea on Jul. 10, 2015 and No.10-2016-0012321, filed in the Republic of Korea on Feb. 1, 2016, all ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle, and moreparticularly, to charging of an electric vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART

Eco-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybridelectric vehicles (PHEVs) use electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE)installed in a charging station to charge a battery thereof.

For interaction between EVs and the EVSE, various standards have beenactively established. Charging standards for an EV may be broadlyclassified into a charging system, a charging interface, a communicationprotocol, etc.

However, the standards are differently adopted according to countries orautomobile companies, and therefore a charging device, a battery pack, abattery management system (BMS), and the like for an EV have to bedeveloped and designed depending on the different standards.Accordingly, there are problems in that costs and time needed to developthe device for charging an EV are increased.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

The present disclosure is directed to providing a charging controldevice for an electric vehicle and a charging device including the same.

Technical Solution

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device forcharging an electric vehicle includes: a charging inlet configured toreceive charging information and power from electric vehicle supplyequipment (EVSE); a control module configured to determine a chargingmode based on the charging information and output a control signal inaccordance with the determined charging mode; and a charger configuredto charge a battery of the electric vehicle in accordance with thecontrol signal of the control module.

The control module may include: a selector configured to determine thecharging mode based on the charging information received from thecharging inlet; a switching section configured to select a task sectioncorresponding to the selected charging mode on the basis of informationof the selector; and a plurality of task sections configured to outputcontrol signals corresponding to different charging modes so thatcharging in the different charging modes is performed.

The charging information may include one or more selected from the groupconsisting of cable information, charging type information, chargingvoltage/current information, a rated voltage, and charging timeinformation.

The different charging modes may include two or more selected from thegroup consisting of a combo mode, a first combo type mode, a secondcombo type mode, a CHAdeMO mode, an AC 3-phase mode, and a GB/T (ChinaDC) mode.

The switching section may include one selected from the group consistingof a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a gateturn off (GTO) thyristor, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT),and a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR).

The device for charging the electric vehicle may further include aninverter.

The device for charging the electric vehicle may further include acommunicator configured to communicate with the EVSE.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method ofcharging an electric vehicle includes: collecting charging informationfrom electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE); determining a chargingmode, based on the charging information; and performing charging of theelectric vehicle in accordance with the determined charging mode.

The charging information may include one or more selected from the groupconsisting of cable information, charging type information, chargingvoltage/current information, a rated voltage, and charging timeinformation.

The charging mode may include one or more selected from the groupconsisting of a combo mode, a first combo type mode, a second combo typemode, a CHAdeMO mode, an AC 3-phase mode, and a GB/T (China DC) mode.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a chargingcontrol device for an electric vehicle includes a first communicationchannel configured to be connected with EVSE; a second communicationchannel configured to be connected with the EVSE; a third communicationchannel configured to be connected with an electronic control unit (ECU)of the electric vehicle; and a controller configured to be connectedwith the first communication channel, the second communication channel,and the third communication channel, generate a signal for controllingcharging of a battery using a signal received through the firstcommunication channel or the second communication channel, and transmitthe signal for controlling the charging of the battery to the ECUthrough the third communication channel.

The first communication channel and the second communication channel maybe based on different protocols from each other.

The first communication channel may be based on a protocol of supportingat least one of power line communication (PLC) and pulse widthmodulation (PWM), and the second communication channel may be based on aprotocol of supporting a controller area network (CAN).

The protocol for the first communication channel may comply withcombined charging system (CCS) standards, and the protocol for thesecond communication channel may comply with CHArge de Move (CHAdeMo)standards or the China EV charging standards.

The third communication channel may be based on the protocol ofsupporting the CAN.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a charging devicefor an electric vehicle includes a control pilot (CP) port configured toreceive a CP signal through a charging cable connected to EVSE; a firstcommunication channel configured to be connected with the CP port and beconnected to the EVSE via the CP port; a second communication channelconfigured to be connected with the EVSE supporting CAN communicationinterface standards including CHAdeM, Chinese national standards, etc.;a third communication channel configured to be connected with anelectronic control unit (ECU) of the electric vehicle; and a chargingcontroller including a control unit connected with the firstcommunication channel, the second communication channel, and the thirdcommunication channel, configured to exchange a signal for controllingcharging of a battery using a signal received through the firstcommunication channel or the second communication channel, andconfigured to transmit the signal for controlling the charging of thebattery to the ECU through the third communication channel.

The charging device may further provide a proximity detection (PD) portfor detecting proximity of the charging cable to a connector, and aprotective earth (PE) port connected with a ground of the EVSE.

Advantageous Effects

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, acharging control device and a charging device are provided to beuniversally applied without limitations to specific standards.Accordingly, it is possible to decrease time and costs needed to developthe charging control device and the charging device, and it is alsopossible to make parts simple.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electric vehicle charging systemconnected to a power grid.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for describing a present inventive concept.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a charging system for an electric vehicleaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging device (100)according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a control module (120) in the electricvehicle charging device (100) according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a view for describing an operation of performing charging ofthe electric vehicle charging device (100) connected to an electricvehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (20) according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of charging an electric vehicleaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a charging device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram of acharging controller included in the charging device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the charging controller in moredetail according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure allows various changes and has many embodiments,and thus exemplary embodiments will be illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and described. However, it will be appreciated that the presentdisclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments, and allmodifications, equivalents and substitutes may be made without departingfrom the idea and technical scope of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that, although terms first, second, etc. may beused herein to describe various elements, the elements should not belimited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one elementfrom another. For example, a first element could be termed a secondelement, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Asused here, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it may be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are nointervening elements present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It willbe further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined here.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elementsthroughout, and repetitive descriptions will be avoided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electric vehicle charging systemconnected to a power grid.

An overall process of charging an electric vehicle will be describedwith reference to FIG. 1. The electric vehicle includes a battery, andthe battery may be directly or indirectly connected to external electricvehicle supply equipment (EVSE) 20. The EVSE 20 may receive power from apower source (or energy source) and supply the power to the electricvehicle. In general, the power source includes a grid such as a powercorporation for generating and supplying electricity, a device capableof generating and/or supplying electricity other than the grid, and anypower source as long as it can supply electricity to the EVSE 20. Forexample, a power transmission/distribution institution 1 and a renewablepower generator 2 may be regarded as the power source. For example, thepower transmission/distribution institution 1 may include a powerstation which is in charge of supplying primary power. Further, therenewable power generator 2 may include a power-recycling deviceincluding a distributed power source and a power storage system togenerate secondary power. The EVSE 20 may be associated with asmart-grid (or intelligent power grid), which means a next-generationpower system and a management system of the same, achieved by fusion andcombination between modernized power technology and information andcommunication technology that have recently been on the rise.

Meanwhile, a central management server 5 manages a primary and/orsecondary power business operator and the EVSE 20 to be associated witheach other. In particular, the central management server 5 receives apower supply request from the EVSE, and manages the power to be suppliedfrom the primary and/or secondary power business operator to the EVSE inresponse to the received power supply request. In this process, thecentral management server 5 may support and provide all necessaryinfrastructures, such as communication protocols and the like, forsuppling/receiving the power in between a charging machine and theprimary and/or secondary power business operators. The EVSE 20 mayfurther include a local server 7 in communication with the centralmanagement server 5, and a smart meter 6 for controlling powerdemand/supply. In particular, the smart meter 6 may more preciselycontrol the power demand/supply based on a demand/supply degree ofpower, billing-related information, etc. under the above-describedsmart-grid environment. The local server 7 provides an infrastructure sothat necessary information may be collected and delivered between thepower source and the electric vehicle and various control operations maybe made on the basis of the information. For example, the local server 7may receive additional information from the electric vehicle when theEVSE 20 connects with the electric vehicle. The local server 7 may makea request for the power source to supply necessary power based on thereceived additional information. A power information network 8 mayprovide various pieces of power information to the central managementserver, the power business operator and the device for charging thebattery of the electric vehicle. The EVSE 20 includes a coupler as aconnector, which is directly connected to and supplies power to an inletprovided in the electric vehicle, so that information about the electricvehicle may be transmitted to the local server 7 through connectionbetween the inlet and the coupler, and the power received through thepower source may be supplied to the electric vehicle through the coupleron the basis of the transmitted information, thereby charging thebattery of the electric vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for describing a present inventive concept.As shown in FIG. 2, an electric vehicle charging device 100 according tothe present disclosure may be mounted inside an electric vehicle (EV)10. The electric vehicle charging device 100 may be connected to theexternal EVSEs which are different in a charging mode. The embodiment ofFIG. 2 illustrates that the electric vehicle charging device 100according to the present disclosure may be connected to an EVSE C1 of afirst charging mode, an EVSE C2 of a second charging mode, and an EVSEC3 of a third charging mode. Although it is not illustrated, the EVSEsdifferent in the charging mode from one another may be integrated intosingle equipment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a charging system for an EV according toone embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, the EV 10 may be charged from the EVSE 20. To thisend, a charging cable connected with the EVSE 20 may be connected to aninlet of the EV 10. Here, the EVSE 20 refers to equipment for supplyingan alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC), which may be placedin a charging station or at home, or may be portable. The EVSE 20 may beinterchangeably used with a supply, an AC supply, a DC supply, asocket-outlet, etc.

The charging device 100 is included in the EV 10 and connected to anelectronic control unit (ECU) 200 inside the EV 10.

Fast charging standards for the charging device 100 of the EV 10 arebroadly classified into combined charging system (CCS) standards, andCHArgeing de Move (CHAdeMO) standards.

Between the above standards, the CCS standards refer to standards thatpower line communication (PLC) is introduced into a combo type chargingport, in which a DC charging port and an AC charging port are integratedinto one port, and have been led in the U.S. and Europe. Further, theCHAdeMO standards refer to standards that the DC charging port and theAC charging port are separated, and have been led in Japan. Besides,China has autonomously established the fast charging standards for theEV.

One embodiment of the present disclosure attempts to provide thecharging device 100 capable of supporting all the various standards.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging device 100according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The electricvehicle charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be mounted to the inside of the EV and the like vehicle,but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electric vehicle charging device 100 accordingto one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a charging inlet110, a control module 120, and a charger 130, and is connected to abattery 300. The charging inlet 110 serves as a connector to beconnected to the external EVSE. That is, for example, the charging inlet110 may be connected to a plug connector, a coupler or the like of theexternal EVSE 20, and receive power from the EVSE. For example, thecharging inlet 110 may be connected to the external EVSE in a wiredmanner using a cable or the like, but is not limited thereto. Thecharging inlet 110 may be directly or indirectly connected to theexternal EVSE in a wired/wireless manner. Further, the charging inlet110 may receive EVSE information, for example, cable information, acharging type, a rated voltage, charging time information,voltage/current information, etc. from the connected external EVSE.

The control module 120 receives the EVSE information from the charginginlet 110, outputs a control signal corresponding to the EVSEinformation, and controls the charger 130 to perform charging. Thecontrol module 120 may include one or more task sections 126, select atask section 126 corresponding to the EVSE information received from thecharging inlet 110, and control the selected task section 126 to outputthe control signal. The control module 120 may transmit the controlsignal to the charger 130 and/or the charging inlet 110. A detailedconfiguration and operations of the control module 120 will be describedbelow in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The charger 130 may charge the battery 300 under a predeterminedcharging condition based on the control signal received from the controlmodule 120. In this case, the control signal applied to the charger 130may vary depending on which task section 126 is selected in the controlmodule 120, and thus the charging condition of the charger 130 may alsovary. For example, the charging condition may include voltageinformation, current information, charging time information, etc.

Meanwhile, the charger 130 may be directly or indirectly connected tothe charging inlet 110. In this case, the charging inlet 110 may receivethe control signal from the control module 120 and transmit the receivedcontrol signal to the charger 130.

The battery 300 may be directly or indirectly connected to the charger130 and charged under a predetermined condition. Although it is notillustrated, the battery 300 may further include a discharger (notshown) to discharge electricity as necessary.

Although it is not illustrated, the electric vehicle charging device 100may further include an inverter for converting AC/DC. In addition, theelectric vehicle charging device 100 may further include a communicator(not shown) to communicate with an external device.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a control module 120 in the electricvehicle charging device 100 according to the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 5, the control module 120 of the electric vehiclecharging device 100 will be described. As shown in the drawing, thecontrol module 120 includes a selector 122, a switching section 124, andthe task section 126. The task section 126 may include one or more tasksections different in mode from one another. For example, as shown inFIG. 5, the task section 126 may include a first charging mode tasksection 126 a, a second charging mode task section 126 b, and a thirdcharging mode task section 126 c, but is not limited thereto.

The selector 122 may be connected to the charging inlet 110 by, forexample, a cable or the like. The selector 122 receives the charginginformation from the charging inlet 110 and determines the task section126 corresponding to the received charging information. For example, thecharging inlet 110 may collect connector information about the EVSE 20connected to the electric vehicle charging device, and the selector 122may determine the task section 126 based on the collected connectorinformation. The switching section 124 receives the information from theselector 122 and selects the corresponding task section among one ormore task sections 126. The switching section 124 may include asemiconductor switching device such as a metal oxide semiconductor fieldeffect transistor (MOSFET), a gate turn off (GTO) thyristor, aninsulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a fast silicon controlledrectifier (SCR), and the like, but is not limited thereto.

Next, an example of determining the task section 126 by the selector 122will be described. For example, in a case where the first charging modeis a combo charging mode, the second charging mode is a CHAdeMO chargingmode, and the third charging mode is an AC 3-phase charging mode, whenthe connector information of the EVSE 20 collected by the charging inlet110 denotes a first connector capable of using both DC power andsingle-phase AC power, the selector 122 may determine the first chargingmode task section 126 a as the corresponding task section based on theinformation. Further, when the connector information of the EVSE 20collected by the charging inlet 110 denotes a second connector of usingthe DC power, the selector 122 may determine the second charging modetask section 126 b as the corresponding task section based on theinformation. In addition, when the connector information of the EVSE 20collected by the charging inlet 110 denotes a third connector of usingthe AC 3-phase power, the selector 122 may determine the third chargingmode task section 126 c as the corresponding task section based on theinformation.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples for helpingunderstanding of the present disclosure, and therefore the connectorinformation is not limited to the embodiments described above butapplicable to any connector to be developed in the future.

As described above, the task section 126 may include task sectionsdifferent in mode from one another. Referring to FIG. 5, the tasksection 126 may include the first charging mode task section 126 a, thesecond charging mode task section 126 b, and the third charging modetask section 126 c. As described above, the EV has various types ofcharging such as a combo type charging, a CHAdeMO type charging, an AC3-phase type charging, etc., and the task sections 126 different in modefrom one another are capable of performing charging in different ways.For example, the first charging mode task section 126 a may performcombo-type charging, the second charging mode task section 126 b mayperform CHAdeMO-type charging, and the third charging mode task section126 c may perform AC 3-phase-type charging. However, the above-describeddescription is merely one embodiment of the present disclosure, and itwill be thus obvious that the type of charging performed in each tasksection varies depending on design purposes and uses.

Here, the task sections 126 may be operated by software suitablydesigned for different types of charging. For example, the firstcharging mode task section 126 a may be operated by software designedfor the combo type charging, the second charging mode task section 126 bmay be operated by software designed for the CHAdeMO type charging, andthe third charging mode task section 126 c may be operated by softwaredesigned for the AC 3-phase type charging. That the task section 126 isoperated by software suitably designed for each corresponding type ofcharging means that the task sections 126 output control signals forcharging the EV in accordance with respective corresponding types ofcharging.

For example, when the first charging mode is of the combo type charging,the first charging mode task section 126 a outputs a control signal sothat the EV may be charged with DC power and AC power selectivelysupplied from a power source (not shown) for DC fast charging and ACfast charging. In this case, the charging condition such as avoltage/current condition, a charging time condition, etc. may be set bya user's input in accordance with design purposes and uses. Similarly,when the second charging mode is of the CHAdeMO type charging, thesecond charging mode task section 126 b outputs a control signal so thatthe EV may be charged in a CHAdeMO manner. Also, when the third chargingmode is of the AC 3-phase type charging, the third charging mode tasksection 126 c outputs a control signal so that the EV may be chargedwith 3-phase AC power supplied from the power source (not shown).

In the above-described embodiment, the task section 126 of the electricvehicle charging system according to the preset disclosure includesthree task sections 126 a to 126 c for just convenience of description,and this is not construed as limiting the present inventive concept. Inother words, it will be obvious that the number of task sections and thecharging modes processed by the task sections in the electric vehiclecharging system according to the present disclosure are not limited tothose of the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view for describing an operation of performing charging ofthe electric vehicle charging device 100 connected to an EVSE 20according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Since theoperations of the elements are described with reference to FIG. 5,repetitive descriptions will be omitted. The charging inlet 110 isconnected to the EVSE 20 and collects the charging information from theEVSE 20. In this case, the collected charging information may betransmitted to the selector 122 through a detection line. The switchingsection 124 and the charging inlet 110 may be connected by a chargingcommunication line. Further, the charging inlet 110 may be connectedwith the charger 130 through a charging line. In addition, the charginginlet 110 may be connected with the selector 122 through the detectionline.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of charging an EV according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the method ofcharging the EV according to the present disclosure includes operationsof collecting the charging information (S100), determining the chargingmode (S200), and performing charging (S300). As described above, thecharging information is collected from the connected external EVSE(S100), the charging information including the cable information, thecharging type information, the charging voltage/current information, therated voltage, the charging time information, etc. On the basis of thecollected charging information, the corresponding charging mode isdetermined (S200). The charging mode may include a combo mode, a firstcombo type mode, a second combo type mode, a CHAdeMO mode, an AC 3-phasemode, and/or a GB/T (China DC) mode. When the charging mode isdetermined, the battery of the EV is charged in the correspondingcharging mode (S300).

Meanwhile, the communication method between the EVSE 20 and the chargingdevice 100 may vary depending on the standards. For example, the PLC isused for communication between the EVSE 20 and the charging device 100in the case of CCS standards, but a controller area network (CAN) isused for communication between the EVSE 20 and the charging device 100in the case of CHAdeMo standards and China EV charging standards.

Below, it will be described by way of example that the charging device100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure furtherincludes a charging controller in order to support communication methodsdifferent according to the standards.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a charging device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram of acharging controller included in the charging device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, the charging inlet 110 of the charging device 100for the EV 10 includes a control pilot (CP) port, a proximity detection(PD) port, a protective earth (PE) port, and a power input port.

Here, the CP port is a port for receiving a CP signal through thecharging cable connected to the EVSE.

The PD port is a port for sensing the proximity of the charging cable tothe connector.

The PE port is a port to be connected to a ground of the EVSE 20.

A charging controller 140 controls charging of the battery 300. Althoughit is not illustrated, the charging controller 140 may be included inthe control module 120, and connected to at least one of the selector122, the switching section 124, and the task section 126 in the controlmodule 120. Alternatively, the charging controller 140 may be providedseparately from the control module 120 and operate independently.

The charging controller 140 may include pilot function (PF) logic forprocessing a pilot function received through the CP port, and proximitydetection (PD) logic for detecting whether the connector of the EVSE 20is inserted or not using a signal received through the PD port.

When the charging controller 140 receives a signal through the CP portand a signal through the PD port, the charging controller 140 controlsthe charger 130 connected to the power input port so that the battery300 may receive charging power from the EVSE 20. The charging controller140 may be interchangeably used with an electric vehicle communicationcontroller (EVCC).

Referring to FIG. 9, the charging controller 140 in the charging device100 includes a first communication channel 142, a second communicationchannel 144, a third communication channel 146, and a control unit 148.

Here, a signal is transmitted and received between the EVSE 20 and thecharging controller 140 through the first communication channel 142 andthe second communication channel 144. In this case, the firstcommunication channel 142 and the second communication channel 144 maybe different in protocol from each other. For example, the firstcommunication channel 142 may be based on a protocol of supporting powerline communication (PLC), pulse width modulation (PWM), or both the PLCand the PWM, and the second communication channel 144 may be based on aprotocol of supporting the controller area network (CAN).

Further, the control unit 148 is connected to the first communicationchannel 142 and the second communication channel 144, and generates asignal for controlling the charging of the battery by using a signalreceived through the first communication channel 142 or the secondcommunication channel 144. In this case, the control unit 148 processesa signal in accordance with the a protocol of supporting the PLC whenthe signal is received through the first communication channel 142, andprocesses a signal in accordance with the protocol of supporting the CANwhen the signal is received through the second communication channel144.

Thus, the charging device 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure may support all the representative standards for charging theEV, i.e. combined charging system (CCS) standards, CHArge de Move(CHAdeMo) standards, and China EV charging standards because it may beconnected to the EVSE 20 through the first communication channel 142 inaccordance with the CCS standards or be connected to the EVSE 20 throughthe second communication channel 144 in accordance with the CHAdeMo orChina EV charging standards. Here, the EVSE 20 connected with the firstcommunication channel 142 and the EVSE 20 connected with the secondcommunication channel 144 may be the same EVSE or different EVSEs. Forexample, one EVSE may include all interfaces that comply with the CCSstandards, the CHAdeMo standards, and the China EV charging standards,or may include one of the interfaces that comply with the CCS standards,the CHAdeMo standards, and the China EV charging standards.

Meanwhile, the control unit 148 is connected to the third communicationchannel 146, and a signal generated by the control unit 148 to controlthe charging of the battery is transmitted to the ECU 200 through thethird communication channel 146. In this case, the third communicationchannel 146 may be based on the protocol of supporting the CAN.Therefore, the control unit 148 may be controlled by the ECU 200 forcontrolling the EV 10.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the charging controller in moredetail according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10, the charging controller 140 in the charging device100 includes the first communication channel 142, the secondcommunication channel 144, the third communication channel 146, and thecontrol unit 148. Further, the first communication channel 142 is basedon the protocol of supporting the PLC, and the second communicationchannel 144 and the third communication channel 146 are based on theprotocol of supporting the CAN.

To this end, the first communication channel 142 may include a matchingblock and a home plug green PHY (HPGP) modem. The first communicationchannel 142 may use the matching block to match the signal to bereceived from the EVSE 20 or transmitted to the EVSE 20, and use theHPGP modem to perform PLC communication.

Further, the control unit 148 may generate a control signal for thecharging of the battery by processing a signal received through thefirst communication channel 142 or the second communication channel1447. In this case, the control unit 148 processes a signal inaccordance with the protocols of supporting the PLC when the signal isreceived through the first communication channel 142, and processes asignal in accordance with the protocol of supporting the CAN when thesignal is received through the second communication channel 144.

In addition, the control unit 148 is connected to the thirdcommunication channel 146, and a signal generated by the control unit148 to control the charging of the battery is transmitted to the ECU 200through the third communication channel 146.

Meanwhile, the charging device 100 according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure may further have an additional function.

For example, the charging controller 140 according to one embodiment ofthe present disclosure may further include an internal power block (&protections) 190 to be connected with the battery 300 of the EV 10.Thus, standby power may be supplied to the charging controller 140 evenwhen the EV 10 stalls or the charging controller 140 is in a sleep mode.

In addition, the charging controller 140 according to one embodiment ofthe present disclosure may further include a fourth communicationchannel 192 to be connected with a diagnosis section 400 of the EV 10.In this case, the fourth communication channel 192 may be based on theprotocol of supporting the CAN. Therefore, a signal is transmitted fromthe diagnosis section 400 of the EV 10 to the charging controller 140via the fourth communication channel 192, thereby controlling thecharging device 100. Further, the signal generated by the chargingcontroller 140 is transmitted to the diagnosis section 400 of the EV 10via the fourth communication channel 192, so that the diagnosis section400 may diagnose a failure or abnormality of the charging device 100 onthe basis of the received signal.

Here, the third communication channel 146 and the fourth communicationchannel 192 are provided separately from each other, but are not limitedthereto. Alternatively, the third communication channel 146 and thefourth communication channel 192 may be integrated into a singlecommunication channel.

Besides, the charging controller 140 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure further includes an equipment control unit (controls& drivers) 194 which may be connected to charging-related equipment (invehicle sensors & controllable functions) 500 of the EV 10. Theequipment control unit 194 transmits a signal between the control unit148 of the charging controller 140 and the charging-related equipment500 of the EV 10, thereby controlling the charging-related equipment 500in the EV 10, or sensing a failure or abnormality of thecharging-related equipment 500.

Further, the charging controller 140 according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure further includes a safety control unit (safety loop)196 which may be connected to safety-related equipment (safety functionon vehicle) 600 of the EV 10. The safety control unit 196 transmits asignal between the control unit 148 of the charging controller 140 andthe safety-related equipment 600 of the EV 10, thereby controlling thesafety-related equipment 600 of the EV 10, or sensing a failure orabnormality of the safety-related equipment 600.

In addition, the charging controller 140 according to one embodiment ofthe present disclosure further includes a sensor control unit 198 whichmay be connected to a sensor 700 of the EV 10. The sensor control unit198 transmits a signal between the control unit 148 of the chargingcontroller 140 and the sensor 700 of the EV 10, thereby controlling thesensor 700 of the EV 10, or sensing a failure or abnormality of thesensor 700.

Although exemplary embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various modificationand changes may be made in the embodiments without departing from theidea and scope of the present inventive concept, which are defined inthe appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10: electric vehicle-   20: electric vehicle supply equipment-   100: charging device

The invention claimed is:
 1. A charging control device for an electricvehicle, the charging control device comprising: a first communicationchannel configured to be connected with an EVSE (electric vehicle supplyequipment); a second communication channel configured to be connectedwith the EVSE; a third communication channel configured to be connectedwith an ECU (electronic control unit) of the electric vehicle; and acontroller configured to be connected with the first communicationchannel, the second communication channel, and the third communicationchannel, to generate a signal for controlling charging of a batteryusing a signal received through the first communication channel or thesecond communication channel, and to transmit the signal for controllingthe charging of the battery to the ECU through the third communicationchannel.
 2. The charging control device of claim 1, wherein the firstcommunication channel and the second communication channel is based ondifferent protocols from each other.
 3. The charging control device ofclaim 2, wherein the first communication channel is based on a protocolof supporting at least one of power line communication (PLC) and pulsewidth modulation (PWM), and the second communication channel is based ona protocol of supporting a controller area network (CAN).
 4. Thecharging control device of claim 3, wherein the protocol for the firstcommunication channel complies with combined charging system (CCS)standards, and the protocol for the second communication channelcomplies with CHArge de Move (CHAdeMo) standards or the China EVcharging standards.
 5. The charging control device of claim 3, whereinthe third communication channel is based on the protocol of supportingthe CAN.
 6. The charging control device of claim 3, wherein thecontroller processes a signal received through the first communicationchannel in accordance with the protocol of supporting the PLC andprocesses a signal received through the second communication channel inaccordance with the protocol of supporting the CAN.
 7. A charging devicefor an electric vehicle, the charging device comprising: a control pilot(CP) port configured to receive a CP signal through a charging cableconnected to an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE); and a chargingcontroller including a first communication channel configured to beconnected with the CP port and be connected to the EVSE via the CP port;a second communication channel configured to be connected with the EVSE;a third communication channel configured to be connected with anelectronic control unit (ECU) of the electric vehicle; and a controlunit connected with the first communication channel, the secondcommunication channel, and the third communication channel, configuredto generate a signal for controlling charging of a battery using asignal received through the first communication channel or the secondcommunication channel, and configured to transmit the signal forcontrolling the charging of the battery to the ECU through the thirdcommunication channel.
 8. The charging device of claim 7, furthercomprising a proximity detection (PD) port for detecting proximity ofthe charging cable to a connector, and a protective earth (PE) portconnected with a ground of the EVSE.
 9. The charging device of claim 7,wherein the first communication channel and the second communicationchannel is based on different protocols from each other.
 10. Thecharging device of claim 9, wherein the first communication channel isbased on a protocol of supporting at least one of power linecommunication (PLC) and pulse width modulation (PWM), and the secondcommunication channel is based on a protocol of supporting a controllerarea network (CAN).
 11. The charging device of claim 10, wherein thethird communication channel is based on the protocol of supporting theCAN.
 12. The charging device of claim 10, wherein the control unitprocesses a signal received through the first communication channel inaccordance with the protocol of supporting the PLC and processes asignal received through the second communication channel in accordancewith the protocol of supporting the CAN.
 13. The charging device ofclaim 7, wherein the charging controller further comprises a fourthcommunication channel to be connected with a diagnosis section of theelectric vehicle.
 14. The charging device of claim 13, wherein thefourth communication channel is based on a protocol of supporting acontroller area network (CAN).
 15. The charging device of claim 7,wherein the charging controller further comprises an equipment controlunit to be connected to a charging-related equipment of the electricvehicle.
 16. The charging device of claim 7, wherein the chargingcontroller further comprises a safety control unit to be connected to asafety-related equipment of the electric vehicle.
 17. The chargingdevice of claim 7, wherein the charging controller further comprises asensor control unit to be connected to a sensor of the electric vehicle.